Friday, November 04, 2005

remembering Larry Glover

Larry GloverLarry Glover was a tireless jazz promoter, historian, theologian, drummer and friend. He died a few years ago of a heart attack. It was a shock to many. I wondered out loud why Larry never "made it big". He told me he didn't want to and that the travel wasn't worthy. He affected the lives of many including probbably thousands of youths over the years in person and through the many jazz and music programs he created and instituted. I think his favorite program was "Instruments for Kids." This program supplied instruments and music lessons for kids that could afford neither. As long time president of the (Northeast Ohio Jazz Society (NOJS) Larry contributed much the jazz community and the world. Go to Services or hit the link in the sentence above (programs) to see some of those things. On these pages and all of the links to the left of these pages you can hear original music by Larry and Jazz pianist/ educator Doug Dostal. One of the things I miss about Larry is how I could never mention an album or musician he didn't know about. I would go to the library and find an obscure jazz album or recording and be so excited about my new discovery. I would call Larry and give him the initial info... Name of the album and who the main cat was and inevitably Larry, who had a photographic memory, would finish my sentence. I would read the album liner as he told me what I was listening to when and where it was recorded and many times tell me what the cover looked like and the entire history. It became this game of trying to find something about jazz he didn't know. I was never able to do it. What fun and passion in this world no longer. But his memory and legacy lives on and on.

I wanted to post a entry to the blog but under the conditions it said that a person may be charged for services. I didn't want to get any future charges, but if I were to write an entry here it is:

Larry was a fantastic advocate for the unsung heroes...Cleveland Jazz Musicians. I had the honor of working with Larry on many occasions and I am honored to say that he was not only a wonderfully talented musician, but a great friend. He was one of the first to tell me that he believed in my talent and always made an effort to include me in musical performances, as well as fund raising adventures!! When you worked on an event with Larry he made sure that he told you a million times how thankful he was for your help. No one will love the Cleveland Jazz Musicians as much as Larry Glover.

Cavana,Thanks for keeping his legacy alive. I too think of him as a friend who taught me so much about jazz and gave me the opportunity to play with him on several ocassions.... like many other people, I miss him.

Your Host

Cavana Faithwalker was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Much of his
worldview and values have been molded by his Blackness bestowed upon him in a
working class Black, urban neighborhood. He blames his packrat tendencies, the
economy in his art and poetry on being raised by an Alabama, depression baby
momma who was raised on a farm with her nine brothers and sisters. "She is
probably the reason I fight consumerism gone amuck and the overly me-ish
influence of our society," says Cavana.

His fascination with mechanical things, physics, his aesthetics,
his sense of humor and how things relate to each other comes from construction
worker dad and others.

He has a degree in public art marketing and management from
Cleveland State University. His major is composed of Urban Studies, Studio Art and Marketing.

He says his “new best friend” now is Amit Goswami a quantum
physicist turned spiritual guru and quantum activist. " I
think something is happening worldwide as far as spiritual consciousness.
For me after almost a quarter century of mainstream and somewhat
fundamentalist Christian dogma and orthodoxy, that whole thing is giving in to a new interpretation of what
the canon says and also what is myth and what is ‘reality.’

When it comes to orthodoxy and dogma I
rather like an adage attributed to Zen Buddhism, ‘when you meet the Buddha in
the road, kill the Buddha.’"

Cavana believes in congruency. “The more you can be in sync with your
authentic self the healthier you are and the more life you bring to the things
you do, yeah congruency.” He aims
at being content in life and enjoying life. His mantra is breathe in breathe out. “Through meditating when I play my didgeridoo
I may have zeroed in on the one thing that won’t change in my world view, it
may be the constancy that anchors me, the lessons in science, those
metaphysical concepts beyond the science of plant animal relationships
surrounding oxygen are powerful. A natural outcome of this mantra is thinking
win-win, big picture, and yin yang.

Perhaps when you gravitate to something or are in accord with something it was meant to be that revelations come through it.I learned to play the didjeridoo in 30 minutes, ‘circular’ breathing and how to make sounds.Many play along time without learning ‘circular breathing’ but it just seemed like the thing to do."

Cavana is a visual and performance artists, he sings and plays
didjeridu and is aiming at attaining some level of expertise at throat singing
also know as overtone singing.

Cavana was the Poet Laureate for the City of Cleveland Heights,
Ohio from 2011-2013.

"Muhammed Ali got me into poetry with his prose and antics in the
70s," Faithwalker says. "I would write prose poetry and recite
them for fellow students in high school." He won his first poetry
contest while in high school.

Today Cavana puts himself in the activist 'box'. "A lot of folks don't like labels but we are hardwired to label and pre judge. I read this sign that said activism is the rent for living on this planet, or something like that. I like that but even more so we are all activists if we become aware and congruent. We naturally care, compassion, and get involved and wear off on those that have been beat up too much to care and get involved - empowerment. When we get too beat up someone re empowers us. Romantic view I know and I try to live into it.